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CHAPTER XV.
My Conduct at Hawkesbury.—Continue for three Years to give Satisfaction to my Principal.—Ordered by Governor King into the Secretary's Office.—Give way to the Temptations with which I am surrounded, and begin to lead a dissipated life in company with some other Clerks.—Concert a System of Fraud upon the King's Stores, which we practise successfully for some Time.—The Imposition is at length detected.—I am in consequence dismissed the Office and sent to hard Labour, for the first Time in my life.
MR. baker received me with kindness, and great pleasure, as, my predecessor having quitted him some weeks before, he was at a loss for a proper assistant. In a few days I had a comfortable residence assigned me by the commanding officer of the settlement, and my duty being exempted from all hard labour, and of such a nature as I found pleasure in performing, I soon felt myself comparatively happy.—With retrospective satisfaction, I can truly say, that I behaved in this situation with so much propriety as to obtain the favour of my principal, and the good opinion of the resident magisstrate, Dr. Arndell, whose four children I attended
